Father
by Jay Petrakis
Summary: The story from the eyes of a particular meat-loving girl's loving father. One-shot. Implied suggestive themes.


**Author's Note: This is probably my first time writing something like this; Let me know what you thought about it, I'm all ears. :)

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Sometimes, I sat alone in my study.

I sat at my desk with only the light from my desk lamp illuminating the corner of the room. Writing in the dead of the night was one of my most favorite things to do. I would write out my memoirs as the time flew by. I would sometimes write all night, into the wee hours of the morning. I find it ridiculous now, seeing as how I was at such a young age. But at that time, I felt so adult and experienced. As a young person often would, I felt like I knew the world like the back of my own hand.

It wasn't until I met the girl of my dreams that I would've known how incredible this world was.

I met her a fine spring evening at my brother's second wedding. She was from my sister-in-law's side of the family; a distant relative, though close in friendship to the girl. We were introduced to each other and we hit it off like two kids on the first day of kindergarten. She was from Illinois and I was from Alabama- We met smack-dab in the middle of Nashville, Tennessee.

She was like a mystery novel- You never knew what was gonna happen next with her. We danced the night away, she talked and talked and talked and talked as we danced, she telling me about herself. She was awfully talkative. I didn't really listen to what she had to say, but boy, she was gorgeous when her mouth moved.

Her name was short and simple- Easy to remember. I made sure to never forget her name.

Unfortunately, I didn't see that girl after the wedding. I was never really all that close to my brother, so I never was around to see her at my brother's get togethers. We went five and a half months before we saw each other again. It was a brisk autumn morning; I remember she was wearing this lovely red scarf. She was sitting in the outside dining area of a little "hole in the wall" cafe. I gathered up all the courage in the pit of my belly and approached her.

I stumbled over my words as I greeted her, my voice a little hoarse—Probably because I was so darn nervous, talking to such a pretty girl. I cleared it and she smiled. She had recognized me but she couldn't quite remember my name. I never blamed her- My name was a little peculiar and much longer compared to her short and easy-to-remember name. She invited me to sit with her and we enjoyed a nice conversation over a cup of Joe.

She talked to me about how she was going to school so she could pursue a career in dancing and acting. I looked at her like she had grown a second head. I did not know this girl was so talented in both dancing and acting, that she could make money off of it. She invited me to her show, down the street at the local community theater, to watch her dance and sing.

Now, I've never been invited to anything as swell as a theater production, so I was ecstatic when she invited me. I put on my dressiest suit and my most suave-looking tie. I remember I sat in the third row- I was so close to that stage that I could see the sweat beads forming on the dancer's foreheads. The entire performance had me amazed and I could not stop watching. But it wasn't until that girl made it onto the stage- her fancy footwork was indescribable. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was so mesmerizing; She almost looked like she was flying on that stage. I sometimes think I fell in love with her that night.

Luckily this time, we stayed in touch afterwards. We would sometimes go out together to watch a flick- I saved every ticket stub. Or sometimes we'd just catch a light brunch together. I never quite understood what our relationship was at that point, until she kissed me. It was a cold winter night and we were bundled together until a blanket, looking out the window to see all the Christmas lights that had been strung up. We often spent our time at one another's houses, but we never did spend the night. But I guess that night it was just too cold to go on home- She insisted that she stay at my place. I warn't about to turn a young lady astray, so of course I complied and let her stay in my humble housing.

She thanked me with a kiss. It was a little surprising and alarmed me since I was a bit new to my romantic feelings being returned, but she accepted all my feelings with a warm smile on her face. That smile kept me warm as we shared a bed for the first time that night.

Everyday that we spent together was like a blissful dream. I spent every night writing at my desk, writing about our memories together and how much I loved her. She was there for me and I made damn sure I was there for her.

I proposed to her on the same kind of spring evening the day we had met. She had tears in her eyes as I had a knee to the ground and I held the ring out to her. We were standing under a redbud tree and the flowers in bloom wafted around her- Falling in the most beautiful way possible. She said "yes" and we were married in November, just a few days after my birthday. We lived quite possibly the happiest lives known to mankind in the history of all the lives; And we were happy.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. I lost my job at the factory after the economy plunged due to inflation. We grew tired and stressed and our once happy lives were no longer really that happy. Don't mistake me when I tell you I still loved her- I was just so tired from everything.

Just when it looked like our relationship had no hope left, it took one little bouncing bundle of joy to bring us back to that state of happiness. I became determined to support this child and found myself a minimum-wage job. And I tell you, I worked my ass off for that child. The child that she brought into the world opened up new possibilities and new adventure. That baby girl, whom we named after my mother's mother, had the most beautiful blue eyes. She had her mother's face and beautiful hair with my funny sense of humor. She learned how to crawl at an early age and she was always moving- Moving with so much unbridled joy, that's just what we nicknamed her: Joy.

Joy and I were like two peas in a pod, always laughing and having a good time. She learned how to dance with beautiful grace, just like her mother and wears different colored socks for luck, just like me. But the year little Joy turned five, I grew gravely ill. I was always in and out of the hospital, the money saved from my minimum-wage job couldn't even pay for the hospital room fees. I blamed myself for not being able to take care of my loving wife and my precious daughter. I passed away later that year, my gravestone read "loving husband and loving father". My wife and daughter cried for me. But I was never really gone- I was always with them, still to this very day.

I spend my days beyond the pearly gates now, hoping that one day my little girl would grow up to be someone honorable. Little Joy and her mother moved out west to Washington, where both have moved on to bigger and better things. I watch Joy from beyond the clouds and I've seen that she's grown up beautifully and loves a respectable boy, who reminds me a little of myself if I do say so myself. She's had her share of tears and share of laughs, but I know that she's a tough cookie. My death only made her and her mother stronger- Something that I was quite happy for.

One of the things about my little girl that makes me smile as I watch her now, is late at night when she sure as hell ought to be in bed but isn't, she takes out a notebook and a pen and she writes. She writes about her feelings and her memoirs- As if she has the entire world figured out. I chuckle to myself as I realize she would soon see how incredible the world really was.

That's my little Samantha "Joy" Puckett.

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**Author's Note: I just realized after I've read over this once more that I have not included Melanie into this story. So please pretend that Melanie does not exist in this universe. :)**

**Also, for that whole "loves a respectable boy" thing; that boy can be whoever you want it to be. ;P**


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